Beta version of Throne and Liberty is enjoyable but lacks uniqueness to distinguish itself.

I have experience playing in popular MMOs like Final Fantasy 14 and World of Warcraft, but I have only briefly explored other variations of this subgenre. When I mention that Throne and Liberty doesn’t quite live up to my previous experiences with multiplayer dungeon exploration, looting, and defeating bosses, it’s my opinion as a casual gamer. However, FF14 and WoW will be releasing large expansions in the same year as NCSOFT’s Guild Wars 2 follow up. While the world is stunning and the combat is becoming more engaging with skill interactions, the monotonous story and repetitive quest structure in the 10 hours I played during the Open Beta make me concerned about Throne and Liberty’s ability to compete with the genre leaders.

The game looks fantastic, nonetheless. The option to personalize your avatar in the character creator offers impressive levels of detail. No matter what combination you come up with, the final outcome will be impressive, without any hint of the player character uncanny valley seen in certain games where user characters are less detailed compared to non-player characters created by developers. The world is also incredibly beautiful. After you first witness the giant flying whale, it will be many hours before you encounter something as magnificent again, however, the landscapes you will pass through during your voyage are vibrant and intricate. I truly enjoyed the marshy woodland filled with spiders and the vibrant meadows inhabited by huge wild birds that are Definitely Not Chocobos. Furthermore, everything operates exceptionally well. Transforming into a wild cat and riding yourself to dash through cities or swiftly teleporting from place to place happens instantly and in real time, regardless of the number of people on screen.

You will be doing a significant amount of traveling, led by a very ordinary tale of magically gifted young people evolving into destiny warriors, and the different groups in the Solisium world wanting to manipulate them for their benefit. I only made it to chapter 5, which was midway through the content, but nothing seemed particularly interesting to me. With a dependable storyteller who summarizes key parts of the plot right after they happen, I ended up fast-forwarding through a lot of the boring conversations in non-action scenes.

The majority of the quests, whether on the main storyline or side missions, are fairly typical for an MMO game. You will gather creatures from the area to create a potion, locate missing individuals, deliver mail, and more. Continuously learning new tasks in Throne and Liberty may cause anxiety as the main story acts like a prolonged tutorial. This made me cautious with spending rewards, unsure if I should upgrade or save for better options later on. Each area of the map features unique additional tasks that are worth finishing for their rewards, even if you typically don’t prioritize completing every single one. These are prone to have more engaging missions or puzzles to solve compared to the main quest, although there are also plenty of “kill X of Y” tasks. I didn’t personally experience many of these, but I talked to some people during my travels who described more challenging platforming missions in instances that I was eager to attempt.

On your adventure, there will be a substantial amount of combat, with the active fighting being the standout element of Throne and Liberty. There are no limitations on players regarding classes. The abilities they have access to are determined by the weapons they choose to wield. Just like Guild Wars 2, NCSOFT’s other major MMO, combat in this game relies heavily on understanding positioning, with skills that work well together within and across different weapons, prompting players to experiment and discover the most effective combinations. Each weapon has a specific auto attack sequence and can block enemies’ strong attacks by correctly pressing the button prompt, and each weapon also has unique follow-up attacks that capitalize on the opening created. This mechanic may seem insignificant when facing weaker opponents, but when dealing with bosses and other powerful enemies, having strong defense is essential for surviving their attacks. Having a complete understanding of it was essential in the Bloody Palace-type boss rush mode, where you go head-to-head with formidable enemies that possess great strength and little room for mistakes.

I wielded both the greatsword and the staff, granting me strength and vitality in close combat as well as tools for evasion and distant magical abilities. I primarily utilized them for engaging in close combat, unleashing all my abilities, then using a magical freezing cloud to jump away from foes and unleash fire and lightning bolts at them until they got too close. These skills also have more direct connections. Players who wield greatswords are able to use a skill to stun enemies, and can then use another skill that inflicts extra damage on stunned opponents. The team has the ability to apply burn status to adversaries, and a subsequent more powerful fire spell will inflict increased harm on foes with burn debuffs. Towards the end of the beta testing phase, I tried out combining different weapons like the wand, which specializes in debuffing and healing, to see how they work together, and I found some positive outcomes.

The majority of the activities I participated in, such as competing in global events against other players to gather macguffins from orcs, or completing easier fetch quests, primarily yielded money and materials for upgrading gear. It’s a mixed blessing as leveling up your gear significantly contributes to your increasing power beyond character advancement, but much of the gear is uninteresting during most of your progress. I was in my mid-to-late 20s in level when I logged out of the beta for the final time. During my gameplay, I had only acquired two swords, both of which were unremarkable in appearance and statistics. Armor was slightly more interactive, yet I felt minimal attachment to the loot I collected besides increasing the stats. I don’t know how things work out at higher levels, where equipment is likely to be more unusual, but if you make your way up there, you’ll only be fighting enemies.

All in all, I definitely had a good time with Throne and Liberty. I want to revisit and join in on major late-game activities, such as guild vs. guild PVP battles and raiding dungeons. The narrative and missions will not drastically change any traditional MMO norms. The inner voice that typically guides me to ensure all possible tasks are completed quietly allows me to bypass lengthy conversations and ignore insignificant side tasks from time to time. I always seized every chance to engage in battle. The combination of using the parry system along with the excitement of uncovering impressive skill combinations with different weapons was definitely the most enjoyable aspect I experienced during my time playing, and could potentially be a reason for me to return and challenge the best players when Throne and Liberty is released in September.